🎙️ Bernhard Leitner, founder of Leitner Designs, shares his journey from racing and product design to manufacturing, pioneering the consumer adventure rack industry for overlanding and outdoor enthusiasts. He discusses his family's legacy in motorsports, the challenges of reshoring manufacturing, and how he built a premium U.S.-made product that has found its way onto everything from lifeguard trucks to special forces vehicles.
Website: leitnerdesigns.com
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Growing up around engineering and motorsports
10:02 Early career in product design and manufacturing
14:29 Founding Leitner Designs and the origins of adventure racks
22:00 The challenges of manufacturing in California
29:10 Competing with low-cost imports and the value of customer service
34:41 Expanding into first responders and government contracts
KEY TOPICS
The evolution of adventure racks in the overlanding industry
Lessons from a family history of motorsports innovation
Reshoring and navigating U.S. manufacturing challenges
Why premium products need strong customer service to compete
Expanding into new markets like first responders and military applications
TOOL OR DIE is produced by Johnson & Roy, a strategic advisory firm specializing in technology, mobility, manufacturing, and robotics. Your hosts are Joel Johnson, former technology journalist and media executive who pioneered brands like Gizmodo, Jalopnik, and Wirecutter, and Alex Roy, a General Partner at New Industry Venture Capital (NIVC.us) known for breaking the Cannonball Run record and his work in autonomous vehicles.
Follow them at:
LinkedIn: Alex Roy | Joel Johnson
X: @alexroy144 | @joeljohnson
Booking: hello@johnson-roy.com
#Manufacturing #Entrepreneurship #Overlanding #TruckRacks #AmericanMade
Share this post